Fitness and Strength Building Machine with Flywheel/Fan Resistance

ABSTRACT

An exercise fitness machine is configured for vertical lift exercises. Resistance is provided by a fan-flywheel arrangement, with flexible inextensible cables connected to the ends of a horizontal barbell member such that a vertical lift motion rotates the fan-flywheel to create a greater force on the concentric exercise phase, but a reduced force on the return or eccentric phase. This may be configured for shoulder presses, squats, curls, or bench press exercises.

The present invention relates to a lift-resistance machine in which the exercise training action involves the act of lifting, pulling or pushing a weight bar or handle, and then lowering the bar or handle in a reverse direction, and repeating the motion. The arrangement employed in this invention permits a greater weight resistance to be experienced on the upward or lifting motion than on the lowering or return motion.

In embodiments of the invention, the weight bar or handle has cables or lines attached to its ends, and the upward motion of the bar pulls the cables and these in turn drive a fan-flywheel, via a system of pulleys and elastic or resilient return mechanisms, so that rotary acceleration plus air resistance provides at least some of the counterforce to motion, rather than gravity alone.

This arrangement can be used in place of a barbell for presses, squats, curls and similar exercises that typically require a gravity resistance weight like a barbell. This can also be used for bench presses in which the subject reclines and pushes the bar upwards against gravity. The amount of resistance depends on the airflow volume that is generated by the fan via the cables or cords that connect to the exercise bar. There can be a baffle or louver to adjust the airflow through the fan.

The arrangement here involves a modular platform in which there is an upper deck on which the person may stand, and a base, with an open space defined between the deck and the base. In some embodiments, the deck and the base may be opposite sides of the same base panel. The fan may optionally be disposed (entirely or partly) below the deck of the platform. Right and left pull cords coming from respective sides of the platform extend up to corresponding ends of the pull bar. There is a multiplier arrangement, i.e., force transfer mechanism such as a system of pulleys, exposed above or concealed under the deck so that placing stress on the pull cords will pull a drive chain or drive belt to rotate the fan. Other mechanical transmission mechanisms could be used here, e.g., a gear drive.

Prior modular mechanical arrangements with cables providing resistance to a pulling or pushing movement have been attempted for weight training use with resistance being applied in upward and downward phases of the exercise motion, but where the pull was the same on the upward and downward or return phases. This, just as with using simple gravity weights, can result in muscular soreness or even injury due to the heavy stress on the downward or return phase of motion.

It has been established by research that exercise movements that have heavy weight stress when the weight is being lowered on the return motion can result in high levels of muscle damage and soreness. This has been specifically reported in Friden, J., Ljorell, U., and L-E. Thornell, Delayed muscle soreness and cytoskeletal alterations. An immunocytological study in man, Int'l. J. Sports Med., 5:15-18 (1984), and in Friden, J. and R. L. Lieber, The structural and mechanical basis of exercise-induced muscle injury, Med. Sci. Sport Exerc. 24:521-530 (1992). Concentric movement occurs when a muscle is contracting and a weight is being lifted, and eccentric movement occurs when a muscle is co-actively lengthening and a weight is being lowered. Movements that have a relatively high eccentric value are associated with high muscle damage and consequent high levels of muscular soreness in the hours and days after the bout of exercise has been completed. Conversely, exercise movements with low eccentric values are associated with lower levels of muscle damage and less soreness. For example, lunges typically cause trainees to experience high levels of soreness, while biking (cycling) produces lower levels of soreness, even when the resistance and range of motion are equivalent. However, this principle has not been followed in the design of any weight training or similar resistance exercise equipment, where a barbell has been used in a vertical movement pattern, and/or with the resistance force applied over the subjects body center of mass.

Flywheel resistance systems, sometimes combined with a fan or blower to convert air flow to a mechanical resistance, have been employed in some non-vertical-lift exercise equipment, such as in stationary exercise bicycles or ergometers or in mechanical rowing machines. To date, unfortunately, the usefulness of flywheel-fan systems to change the dynamics of concentric motion versus eccentric motion has been missed in weight training equipment that uses a lift motion against gravity.

In a flywheel system, the concentric phase of movement requires the exercise trainee to accelerate the flywheel, which provides the resistance to motion. However, on the return phase or eccentric phase, the flywheel is clutched out of engagement with the lever or bar, so the force experienced on that phase is not at all affected by the flywheel, and this permits the subject to perform an exercise in which there can be very high levels of concentric force and very low levels of eccentric force. This may be experienced, for example, in an exercise rowing machine in which the concentric phase corresponds to the pull stroke of the oar against water to accelerate a boat, while the eccentric phase corresponds to the return stroke in which the oar would be held out of the water. However, the lifting phase and lowering phase of a gravity weight do not logically provide different amounts of force to the trainee, and no one has previously attempted to employ a flywheel or fan to create any portion of the resistance on an exercise machine or exercise station for performing vertical lift and lowering motions against gravity or a simulated gravity resistance.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus and system to permit an athlete or other trainee to perform exercises in which lifting against a vertical resistance places a greater force on the person during the concentric (lift) phase or stroke, and a reduced force during the eccentric (return or lowering) phase or stroke, as a means to reduce the levels of soreness or muscular injury as mentioned previously that are associated with traditional gravity weight exercise devices.

It is another and related object to provide a vertical lift exercise device in which a flywheel, rotary fan or combination thereof provides part or all of the resistance to the exercise trainee during the concentric and eccentric phases of the exercise motion, and results in a differential of force as between the concentric and eccentric phases.

A further object is to provide an exercise machine or station in which the trainee lifts an elongated bar with cables or cords connecting the bar to a rotary resistance member, which may incorporate a flywheel, fan, or both.

A still further object is to provide such an exercise machine or station that can be used for various exercises, including lifts, squats, shoulder presses, curls, and bench presses.

A related object is to provide such an exercise machine or station in which traditional gravity weights e.g. weight disks can be mounted on the bar to provide a portion of the resistance.

Another object is to provide the exercise machine or station with a variable airflow control so that the amount of resistance on the concentric phase of motion can be adjusted.

According to an object of this invention, a vertical lift exercise apparatus has a horizontal platform member of arranged such that a human subject may position himself or herself over a proximal portion of the platform member. There may be a left side member and a right side member, configured to hold the platform member at the floor surface or at a predetermined height over the floor surface, in some cases favorably creating a space or compartment between the platform member and the floor surface.

One or more rotary fans, flywheel, or flywheel-fan may serve as a rotary resistance member and this is favorably positioned at a distal portion of the aforesaid compartment and preferably at least partially beneath the platform. The horizontal platform member may have a central portion at a proximal end portion thereof and which is adapted to permit the human subject to be supported thereon when performing an exercise motion. The fan or blower may have a vertical, inclined, or horizontal rotation. A left cable and a right cable are positioned adjacent or within such space and extend upwards from a left portion and a right portion, and extend near, i.e., above or within the horizontal platform member. A barbell or other elongated rigid bar member has its left and right ends configured so that the left and right cables are respectively attached. Also, a transmission arrangement within the compartment couples the left and right cables to the rotatable resistance member and is configured to apply a torque to the rotatable resistance member when the bar member pulls the left and right cable upward and rotates the rotatable resistance member when the left and right cables are let downward towards the associated platform member. In some favorable embodiments the cables and associated pulleys are exposed above the deck or platform, while in others the cables emerge through respective left and right apertures in the deck of the platform member, with the cables traveling between associated pulleys concealed beneath the deck.

The platform member can be configured to indicate positions of left and right feet of a human subject when standing on the platform member. There may be pulleys within the fan/flywheel compartment so that the transmission arrangement rotates the fan/flywheel to provide resistance by moving air when torque is applied by upward movement of the left and right cables. The rotatable resistance member can further include a mechanism for adjustably controlling airflow so that the amount of resistance on the upward motion of the left and right cables can be adjusted. In some embodiments, a pair of rotary fans provide resistance.

The rigid bar member can additionally accept weight disks at its left and right ends. In some embodiments the horizontal bar member may be separate left and right bars, so the left and right cables may be separately operated. The transmission arrangement can be configured with pulleys, cables, and at least one resilient return member, connected from ends of the left and right cables to a one-directional drive member on the flywheel, fan, or other rotatable resistance member.

The invention can be seen also as a method of performing an exercise that involves lifting against a vertically directed resistance, and placing an individual on a horizontal support surface and on an exercise work station at the horizontal support surface. In this configuration, the work station may include at least left and right horizontal members extending from a proximal end portion to a distal portion; at least one rotatable resistance member disposed in a housing at the distal portion; a left cable and a right cable positioned respectively in the left and right horizontal members, and the left and right cables having end portions extending upwards directly from pulleys or from apertures located at the respective proximal end portions of the left and right horizontal members and with the left and right cables also extending to a transmission arrangement associated with the flywheel fan or other rotatable resistance member. An elongated horizontal rigid bar member has left and right ends to which the respective end portions of said left and right cables are attached.

An individual subject may perform an exercise movement by moving the elongated horizontal rigid bar member upwards thereby applying a torque to the rotatable resistance member, and lowering the elongated rigid bar member thereby releasing torque from the rotatable resistance member and reducing force on the eccentric phase.

Thus the individual subject experiences a downward force that is relatively greater on the upward movement and relatively lesser on the downward movement. The equipment may be used for exercise movement such as a standing shoulder press, an arm curl, or a bench press. These are a few examples only, and the same equipment can be employed for a large variety of exercises.

The starting position for the bar can be adjusted upwards or downwards by lengthening or shortening the end portions of the left and right cables and can be adjusted to place the elongated horizontal rigid bar at different respective positions for different exercise movements.

Many variations of this equipment and its use will become apparent from the following description of selected preferred embodiments, to be considered in connection with the accompanying Drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a general schematic view of a rotary flywheel-fan based fitness and strength building machine according to one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 1A shows an alternate arrangement of the embodiment of FIG. 1, here omitting the structure illustrated in broken line in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2. is a plan view of a resistance flywheel compartment thereof, taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial distal end view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are top plan schematic views of alternative embodiments.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are illustrations of subject users performing exercises on embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 9 shows another alternative embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the Drawing Figures, and initially to FIG. 1, with additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exercise machine unit, i.e., fan/flywheel based exercise station 10 has a platform 12 on which a user can stand while performing an exercise, here formed with a deck 14, shown in broken line, supported on left and right sides 16 on a base member 18. A space or compartment 20 is defined between the base 18 and deck 14. Cables are permitted to travel within this compartment 20, with various pulleys and guide wheels (not numbered) to direct the cable travel.

A rigid horizontal barbell, i.e., rigid solid or tubular bar member 22, and may be straight or undulating, as preferred. The bar member 22 is shown at an elevated exercise position, and support structure is omitted in this view. Foot plates 24 may be present to indicate a preferred position for the user to stand. Left and right flexible inextensible cable member 26, which may be cables, cords, chains or the like, extend upward to the respective ends of the bar member 22 above where the cable members exit through respective apertures 28 in the deck 14 near the proximal end of the deck. In some embodiments, the deck 14 may be omitted or consolidated with the base member 18, as disclosed with reference to FIG. 1A.

A resistance flywheel compartment 30 is located at a distal or back end of the exercise station 10, here shown partly elevated above the deck 14. This compartment may be located entirely below the deck 14 in some embodiments. This compartment 30 is comprised of a flywheel housing 30A and a cord-flywheel transmission compartment 30B.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway plan view taken at 2-2 in FIG. 1, and shows a flywheel 32, in this embodiment a rotary fan-flywheel incorporating an axial flow fan. In other embodiments this could be a radial flow fan or blower. This may incorporate a ring having sufficient moment of inertia to absorb some of the pull force on the cables 26 to gain rotational energy. As shown with additional reference to FIG. 3 the flywheel housing also includes an adjustable louver arrangement 34 to control the resistance to airflow, and thus control the pull resistance on the cables 26. Adjustment is made by moving an adjustment handle 36. Also shown schematically in FIG. 3 there is a transmission arrangement 38 connecting the cables 26 to a mechanism to rotate the fan-flywheel 32. The outward movement of the cables 26 then creates a torque on the axle of the fan-flywheel 32. The transmission arrangement 38 has a one-way clutch so that the fan-flywheel continues to turn in free-wheel when the cable returns in the opposite direction, i.e., when the bar member 22 is lowered to a downward or relax position. Illustrated but not numbered are various guide pulleys and wheels to direct the movement of the left and right cables 26. While in this embodiment the cables enter and exit the deck 14 via the apertures 28, in some embodiments the cables may travel above the deck 14 to the resistance flywheel compartment 30.

As shown in FIG. 1A, another preferred embodiment here has open pulleys and cables traveling above the deck 12 to the resistance flywheel compartment 30. FIG. 1A employs the same reference signals as used in FIG. 1 to identify similar elements. Here the deck 14 is combined with or incorporated into the base member 18, there are a number of pulley assemblies 40 positioned at the front (proximal) right, front (proximal) left, and towards the distal end of the deck or platform, so that the cables 26 descend from the barbell 22 to respective ones of the pulley assemblies 40 and then extend to the rear, travel over the rear or distal pulley assemblies 40 and enter the cord-flywheel transmission compartment 30B.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are simplified schematic views of alternative configurations or embodiments of this exercise station, with FIG. 4 showing an embodiment 110 a single flywheel-fan 132 disposed horizontally (with vertical rotary axis) positioned in the compartment beneath the deck 114 with both left and right cables 26 leading to a single transmission arrangement 138. The two pull cables 128 each connect to one or the other of inputs of the transmission arrangement 138 and exit the deck via a left or right aperture 128. FIG. 5 shows a two-fan-flywheel arrangement 210 in which there are separate left and right fan flywheels 232 at respective left and right sides of the exercise station 210 and disposed horizontally beneath the deck 214. There are separate left and right transmission arrangements or multipliers 238 connected to the left and right pull cables 238, and to the respective left and right flywheel-fans 232.

In each of these two embodiments the locations of the footplates 24 are shown. The distal end of each unit is at the top of the drawing, and the proximal end is at the bottom in each view.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views illustrating the manner in which a subject user would be positioned on the exercise station 10 to perform a lifting exercise movement, either with just the resistive force coming from the weight of the bar 22 and the resistive pull of the flywheel-fan on the cables 26, or with additional (optional) weight 42, which may be a traditional weight disk, added onto the bar 22. This combined with the resistance to lift from the flywheel-fan and cables 26 will provide a sufficiently high resistive force on the concentric or lifting phase, and a lighter resistance on the eccentric phase of the exercise motion.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 8, a reclined bench press exercise can be performed with the help of a bench 44 to support the user's back and to position him or her properly over the fan-flywheel exercise station 10 and under the weight bar 22. A weight bar bench press rack 46 shown here in broken line may be provided optionally mounted either on the bench 44 or onto the platform of the exercise station

Another embodiment 310 of the exercise station of this invention that is well adapted for bench press use is shown in FIG. 9. Here, the exercise station 310 has a split platform and deck portion composed of a pair of leg members, to wit, a left leg member 316L and a right leg member 316R extending proximally from the flywheel compartment 330. The left and right lift cables 326 extend upward from apertures at the proximal end of the leg members. In this embodiment removable rack posts 46, 46 are attached onto the top deck of each leg member. Preferably the gap or space between the leg members 316L and 316R is wide enough to place the bench-press bench 44. As shown, a weight disk may be placed optionally at the left and right ends of the horizontal bar 22 between the end thereof and the place where the respective cable 326 is attached.

Many elaborate fan/fan-flywheel exercise machines currently exist but none are configured to be used with or incorporate an elongated bar in the nature of a barbell to be held in two hands and used for traditional bar-bell exercise motions (but reducing the muscular stress in the concentric phase of the motion). The difference is vast in performing an exercise with two separate handles or levers, and one elongated rigid barbell. The present invention employs a rod or bar as discussed with pull cables or push cables fixed to attachment points at either end of the rod or bar. In contrast to the exercise machines that are currently available, the arrangement of the present invention allows the trainee or athlete to use a barbell (with or without additional weight disks) for any and all the associated barbell movements while experiencing resistance applied from a flywheel system. With this arrangement, the trainee can place himself or herself under the barbell, placing is as normally on their upper back, their front rack or at any other barbell position. Being able to place himself or herself under the barbell is a unique advantage for trainees because it allows the trainee to balance his or her weight, i.e., center of mass, directly over their base of support.

While this invention has been described with reference to a number of selected, illustrative embodiments, but the invention is not limited only to those illustrated embodiments. Rather the invention should be measured as recited in the appended Claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vertical lift exercise apparatus comprising: a horizontal platform member of a predetermined width and length configured such that a human subject may position himself or herself over a first portion of the platform member; at least one rotatable resistance member positioned at a second portion of said compartment and on or at least partially beneath said platform member; said horizontal platform member having a deck portion with a proximal end portion thereof and adapted to permit said human subject to be supported thereon when performing an exercise motion; a left cable positioned to extend upwards from a left portion of said horizontal platform member, and a right cable positioned to extend upwards from right portion of said horizontal platform member; an elongated rigid bar member having left and right ends to which said left and right cables are respectively attached; and a transmission arrangement within said compartment coupling said left and right cables to said rotatable resistance member and configured to apply a torque to said rotatable resistance member when said bar member pulls said left and right cable upward and to release from said rotatable resistance member when said bar member and said left and right cables are let downward towards said platform member.
 2. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said horizontal platform member includes a footplate at said deck and configured to indicate positions of left and right feet of said human subject when standing on said platform member.
 3. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising pulleys within said transmission compartment for redirecting the directions of said left and right cables, respectively, to align with inputs of said transmission arrangement.
 4. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable resistance member includes a flywheel which is arranged to be accelerated when torque is applied by upward movement of said left and right cables.
 5. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable resistance member includes a rotary fan that provides resistance by moving air when torque is applied by upward movement of said left and right cables.
 6. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 5 said rotatable resistance member further comprising a mechanism for adjustably controlling airflow so that the amount of resistance on the upward motion of the left and right cables can be adjusted.
 7. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable resistance member includes a pair of rotary fans that each provide resistance by moving air when torque is applied by upward movement of said left cable and said right cable, respectively.
 8. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elongated rigid bar member is configured to accept weight disks at left and right ends thereof.
 9. Vertical lift exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmission arrangement includes an arrangement of pulleys, cables, and at least one resilient return member, connected from ends of said left and right cables to a one-directional drive member on said rotatable resistance member.
 10. A method of performing an exercise by lifting against a vertically directed resistance, the method comprising placing an individual subject on a horizontal support surface of an exercise work station, the work station including at least left and right horizontal portions extending from a proximal end portion to a distal portion; at least one rotatable resistance member disposed in a housing at said distal portion; a left cable and a right cable positioned respectively in or on said left and right horizontal members, and said left and right cables having end portions extending upwards from the respective proximal end portions of said left and right horizontal members and said left and right cables also extending to a transmission arrangement associated with said rotatable resistance member; an elongated horizontal rigid bar member having left and right ends to which the respective end portions of said left and right cables are attached; and the method further comprising said individual subject performing an exercise movement by moving said elongated horizontal rigid bar member upwards thereby applying a torque to said rotatable resistance member, and lowering said elongated rigid bar member thereby releasing torque from said rotatable resistance member, whereby said individual subject experiences a downward force that is relatively greater on the upward movement and relatively lesser on the downward movement.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said exercise movement is a standing shoulder press.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein said exercise movement is an arm curl.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein said individual subject is place in a reclining position and said exercise movement is a bench press.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein lengths of said end portions of said left and right cables can be adjusted to place said elongated horizontal rigid bar at different respective positions for different exercise movements. 